Dick’s Sporting Goods continues pushing to insource its ecommerce software, following a trail blazed by its CIO during his time at Home Depot, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
“In a lot of retail, there’s been a tradition that tools were designed at headquarters and inflicted on the store [employees],” CIO Paul Gaffney told WSJ. “We’ve been trying to turn that around.”
A tech overhaul begun three years ago has enable Dick’s to offer new products tied to events like league championships or major player trades within 30 minutes, something that used to take three to five days, Gaffney said.
In another key revamp initiative, Dick’s has been moving from centralized ecommerce fulfillment to regional east and west coast operations, improving its supply chain to speed up deliveries and testing pickup lockers.
New inventory management software developed in house was deployed last fall at Dick’s, according to WSJ, providing real-time product information and inventory availability and giving customers alternate product recommendations.
The company’s ecommerce sales were up 17% in the most recent quarter, representing about 20% of its overall revenue.
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